


Cutting Room Floor

by talentedgemx



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Canon, Canon Compliant, Cuddling, Developing Relationship, Emotions, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Foreplay, Headcanon, Intimacy, Kissing, LGBT, Making Out, Missing Scenes, Sexual Content, Smut, Some Chapters NSFW, Teasing, Tension, Touching, Vanity, lots of feelings, lots of making out, romantic feelings, sexual feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-04-16 23:10:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14175393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talentedgemx/pseuds/talentedgemx
Summary: So I'm interested to know what could've happened in between the Vanity scenes we've been given (not that those haven't been great, Emmerdale!) and what may have happened should the scenes have gone on for a little while longer. For example what exactly happened after Charity kissed Vanessa that first time in the cellar? This is my take.There may be more of the bits we missed in order to better develop the Vanity relationship. Comments are very welcome :)





	1. Super Sloshed Girl

The moment hung there, floating in the air between them and Vanessa had absolutely no idea what to do with it. Her lips were parted and her breath hitched, her body as still and unmoving as the moment itself.

 

It must've only lasted a few seconds but the press of Charity's lips was so real, so unexpected and so undeniably _needed_ that it still felt like they were there. She was shocked, that much was true and a part of her thought she was imagining it and if she hadn't of been able to feel the heat of Charity's body next to her then she might've been able to convince herself that she was.

 

It was real, though, and Charity was real. She was _very_ real, wedged there next to her with her face still only a few inches away. Her breath was warm as it ghosted over Vanessa's lips, hovering there all soft and inviting as she waited to see what Vanessa would do.

 

Vanessa swallowed as she felt her chest do something surprising. As she felt her body react traitorously and her fingers itch to reach out and pull the other woman back again. It was disconcerting but so very, very tempting at the same time. She exhaled softly, and that was when she felt her body tremble.

 

Her eyes were still closed, still shielded by her mask that she was thankful for as she managed to feel as distant as she was present. Like she was hiding at a safe distance but still somehow very much in this unlikely but not entirely unwelcome moment. She exhaled again as Charity inched backward, as those unbelievably soft lips retreated and her index finger dropped away from her chin. In that split second Vanessa mourned the loss and she wanted those lips back, however ill-advised it may be but call it the alcohol (which she would later, repeatedly) but how long had it been since someone had kissed her like that? How long since anyone had come on to her, flirted with and charmed her, drawing her in with a soft voice and a finger to the underside of her chin?

 

Try never, that last one anyway and she really didn't care that it was Charity. In that moment she didn't care who she was, not at all because all she wanted was those soft lips back and the feeling of being wanted that was lurking there behind them.

 

Vanessa lifted her head just slightly, the semblance of a nod as she angled her head a little more toward the chair, her chest falling heavily as she released the breath she didn't even know she was holding and then those lips were back, pressing into her own with a little more intent but at the same time a little hesitant, as if they were just as bemused and unsure as hers were.

 

The hesitancy didn't last for long, however. As Charity pushed forwards her lips enveloped Vanessa's bottom one, pulling it in and tugging it back with her, Charity's throat making a possessive low sound that rumbled through Vanessa, turning her on with a jolt that landed right in the pit of her stomach.

 

It was her turn to move, then, and so Vanessa pushed all objection out of her mind and kissed Charity back, properly this time as she leaned her weight into her side, enjoying more than she could fathom the soft press of Charity's warm body against her own.

 

Charity's hand was at her neck in an instant, the one that had been hovering just under her chin and then Vanessa felt strong fingers dig into the underside of her jaw and into her neck just below her ear, pulling her that little bit closer as her thumb swiped gently across her cheek.

 

It happened so quickly, so suddenly that it was just as mind-numbing as the kiss itself; the hurried and incessant thud of Vanessa's heart that only grew heavier with each moment that passed. With each new kiss and movement of their lips she felt it deeply in the back of her throat, in her gut and in the side of her neck where Charity's third and little fingers were pushing into the column of her skin. It was intoxicating, really, and only amplified by the absurdity of it. Her body was lighting up with every new touch like a tsunami of arousal assaulting her from every direction, and Vanessa was helpless to stop it.

 

They moved together easily, Vanessa's chest making contact with Charity's first and then her hips as their bodies angled toward each other of their own accord and it was all Vanessa could do stop the movement completely. Her abdomen was getting dangerously close to rubbing up against Charity's hip but somehow, she managed to hold that back, for now. Instead she reached her left hand up and grabbed onto Charity's bicep, pulling her arm a touch closer as she felt Charity's mouth open and her head tilt in a way that meant this was only going to become more heated. _Much_ more heated and Vanessa moaned into Charity's mouth at the very idea of it.

 

Charity trailed her tongue across Vanessa's bottom lip causing Vanessa's nails to instantly dig into the material of Charity's blazer, penetrating almost through to her skin as another breath caught in Vanessa's throat, a deep exhale quick to follow as Vanessa felt it all the way down to her toes. The feeling thundering through her and all Vanessa wanted to do was chase it.

 

Charity revelled in it. The idea that this was _doing_ something to Vanessa and that she was teetering on the edge of being lost to it. Charity wanted to grin at it, to bask in the knowledge that she was _still_ capable of this, of seducing someone to such an extent with the power of her words and charm and good looks. It had been a while, after all, and an even longer while since she had kissed someone without any apparent gain. Other than thinking it would be an interesting idea.

 

What was even more appealing though, Charity suddenly felt as Vanessa clung to her and she moaned breathily over her lips as Charity's tongue retreated a little, was that it had been an absolute lifetime since someone had kissed and responded to her so honestly and genuinely, as clearly Vanessa had no apparent gain from this either. In that moment Charity wished she hadn't covered Vanessa's eyes with her mask, regardless of how great a move it was because now she couldn't flick her gaze up and gauge what the other woman was thinking. All she had was the quick hitch of Vanessa's chest, the low hum developing in the back of her throat and the impatient way her fingers were curling in her blazer as if she wanted her closer. As if she wanted Charity's lips on hers again. Like maybe she wanted her for no other reason than just wanting her.

 

Actually Charity was very glad she couldn't see Vanessa's eyes.

 

It was a good felling though. Great even, and one Charity had forgotten all about. It was just a kiss though, she thought as she paused once again. Her eyes fixing on Vanessa's lips. Just a kiss.

 

Charity slid her hand around to the back of Vanessa's neck, moving it up and into her hair line so her fingers could find greater purchase just as Vanessa's hand dropped from Charity's bicep, sliding under her arm and up onto her shoulder blade. Both of them pulling simultaneously as they met each other half way in a hurried mess of lips and tongues and a barrage of sensations neither wanted to think about.

 

Vanessa couldn't remember feeling anything like it, not so quickly and this certainly wasn't the first drunken make out session she'd had. Not even in the least but it was definitely the first time she'd felt anything close to the sudden heat that was engulfing her entire body from the inside out. It was so rapid her head would be cloudy even without the whiskey but there was no doubt about the fire that was sparking within her. No doubt about the way her heart rattled her ribcage and how she just couldn't stop the groans that were forming as Charity did marvellous things with her tongue.

 

It was lust inducing, and Vanessa couldn't pull Charity any closer if she tried. Their bodies were firmly together, neatly in the middle of the love seat with Charity angled a little over Vanessa with her hand getting even more lost in her hair. Her fingertips every now and then digging into Vanessa's scalp causing Vanessa to push her head back a little to spur them on, the pressure at the base of her skull so good it made her eyes roll back in her head.

 

Charity's body felt amazing against hers, so firm and soft which could also be said for her hands as well as her lips. And her tongue. She was warm and pliant and when Vanessa moved, so did she. Only small adjustments like Vanessa's hand to Charity's lower back and then to her hip, just as Charity's dropped from Vanessa's hair to her shoulder to just over her ribs. It made Vanessa shiver, a sensation that shot along and up her entire side making her want to feel Charity's touch more.

 

Her hand wasn't there for long, though, as Charity's fingers seemed to be just as restless as her tongue. They rubbed into Vanessa's ribs and over her side for a good few moments, mapping out the contours there before her thumb inched upward and caused her whole hand to stall for a second or two, before carrying on down to her hip. Vanessa groaned as Charity pressed closer, prompting her hand that had pulled on Charity's hip in encouragement to move up to Charity's jaw, holding her exactly where she wanted her and the moan that Charity released in response was like striking a bass line right to her core.

 

It reverberated, spreading outward through her body in a ripple effect and it was damn near the most erotic thing Vanessa could remember experiencing. It made her body jump and she prayed to God Charity hadn't felt it.

 

They came apart briefly; to gasp in some much needed air before one of them would re-tilt their head and go in for another kiss. Both of them far too starved of this kind of attention to want to stop and seeing as they were locked in, why the hell not?

 

Charity had no idea where any of this had come from. None at all, just that she felt like it would be a good idea at the time and she supposed it was a way to mess with the woman who thought she could drunkenly call Charity Dingle out on all of her shit. The thing was, though, that her initial kiss was a hell of a lot softer than she'd planned and Vanessa had been so much more receptive than she'd expected. She was honestly expecting a slap or a shove, an outraged rebuff at the very least but instead what she had, was _this_ , and the kicker was that Charity actually _liked_ it.

 

Very much so, in fact, and she welcomed Vanessa's curiosity because she was curious too. About what exactly she didn't know but what she did know was that she wanted it to last for as long as possible. It was spontaneous with no agenda behind it, and nothing was quite as important to Charity right then, as that.

 

She could tell how much Vanessa was enjoying it, that was wholly obvious but it was lighting _her_ up too. It was all lighting her up and making her feel things in places she really wasn't expecting to. Not whilst kissing Vanessa Woodfield and that was a whole new development entirely but Charity couldn't deny it (she'd save that for later). Her heart was beating faster than it had done in years, thick behind her ears and deep beneath her skin. It practically pulsed there, tugging at something Charity would rather stay buried and she only felt it deeper with every flick of Vanessa's tongue against her own. Every time Vanessa's hand wandered and her fingers pulled at Charity she couldn't stop her reaction and she only wanted more.

 

Especially the way Vanessa moaned. That Charity felt reverberate down her spine and settle somewhere deep in her gut and a part of her wanted so much more than this and perhaps with anyone else Charity would. She'd push it to see just how far she could go but something stopped her, just as her hand was poised to round the curve of Vanessa's hip and let it wander further. Charity stopped and brought her hand back up and into Vanessa's hair.

 

This was more than enough for the moment and surprisingly, as she was finding out the longer this went on that Vanessa was an incredible kisser. The best in recent history, as far as she could remember and it made Charity raise her brow a little. She was turned on beyond belief, and only getting more so with each moment that ticked by. She was starting to feel a yearning that only wanted more and it was quickly making her clothes become more and more uncomfortable the hotter she became.

 

Charity didn't often feel like this and she was actually thankful for the dodgy lock on the door. As protected as Vanessa felt with her eyes concealed Charity felt just as hidden and secure by the knowledge of that lock. They were secluded away, tucked cosily into this armchair away from prying eyes and judgement. Charity didn't have to feel as guarded as she did when she was surrounded by people. People with their opinions and reprimanding expressions, waiting for her to mess up and see who could come out with the most biting remark. No one knew where they were here and down here, Charity held all the power. Vanessa wasn't about to yell out and draw attention to them and by all accounts she was more than content to stay glued to Charity's side, busy as she was stealing the air from Charity's lungs and amazingly, Charity was _more_ than happy to let her.

 

She was very happy, in fact, and she was beginning to groan just as heavily in Vanessa's mouth as she was into hers.

 

The sensations though quickly became too much. Too much for anyone to keep up without parting properly for air and an ounce of composure, regardless of how much whiskey had been consumed. They were pulling at each other fervently, their chests moving too hurriedly for the space beneath their clothes and neither of them, really, could justify where it might go.

 

That respectful voice in Charity's head reminded her that Vanessa was much more drunk than she was and for some inexplicable reason that she didn't want to analyse, she cared about Vanessa's wellbeing and didn't want her to regret it. A kiss maybe, but not sex. Not because of alcohol. So Charity broke the kiss and tried to push that caring thought right out of her head as Vanessa rested her hand against Charity's shoulder, not pushing her away but keeping her in place instead.

 

Vanessa sucked in several breaths and then pulled the mask down from her face, letting it drop to her chest and the bewildered expression that painted her face would be comical, if only she could see it.

 

She was making out with Charity Dingle.

 

After a moment or so of silence Charity chuckled a little, the natural raspy note in her tone even deeper now and Vanessa was horrified to realise how it sent a shudder right through her.

 

"Well you're just full or surprises, aren't you?" Charity uttered, the husk in her voice only serving to turn Vanessa on all the more more and she was hard pressed not to just kiss her again to shut her up.

 

Vanessa's eyes flicked to Charity's and it flashed through her mind like lightning. What exactly should she be full of? Anger, shock, regret? Should she be outraged that Charity had kissed her? Or outraged at herself for kissing her back?

 

At the lack of any answer Charity suddenly became thirsty so she straightened up a little and reached over the back of the chair to grab the whiskey bottle, turning so she was less on her side and more able to swig the liquid down.

 

Vanessa just watched her, still stuck on her same thought. She wasn't full of anything like it, just overwhelmed with arousal the likes of which she hadn't felt in _forever_ and she wasn't about to lose sight of it now, even if Charity was the one sparking it. She could blame the alcohol, right? The alcohol was making her attracted to Charity. The alcohol was making Vanessa want to kiss her again, even though she wasn't the one drinking it right then. It was the late hour, the grief, the being locked in a cellar and stuck in a comfy chair with a hot blonde whose body was still warm and firm and pressed against her side.

 

It was because she was good with her tongue and Vanessa didn't want to stop kissing her. Charity was acting like she _wanted_ her and that really, was the most seductive thing of all.

 

Charity chugged back another mouthful and banged the bottle down on the table, gasping as if the whiskey was the first mouthful to hit the back of her drink-shy throat. She missed the taste of Vanessa then. The things she did with her tongue and it made a slight furrow appear between her eyebrows. She wondered, briefly, when she'd ever wanted to kiss somebody so much and then her head then hit the back of the chair as if to knock any further thought right out of it.

 

Charity rolled her head little to the side so she was looking across at Vanessa, those eyes now a deeper and fuller green than Vanessa had ever seen them and it made her think then, when she had first noticed the colour of Charity's eyes.

 

Charity blinked and then grinned, her nonchalance quick to return as her brows raised as if she was about to say something, but Vanessa leaned across the tiny space that had opened up between them and placed her hand back on the curve of Charity's jaw, tilting her face up a little as she moved in closer.

 

"Don't ruin it," Vanessa whispered, before she closed her eyes and kissed her again.

 


	2. The Hangover Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know... the best thing for a hangover cure?" Charity asked in a breathy whisper, slipping into the space next to Vanessa on the sofa.
> 
> "No," Vanessa replied curtly, frozen where she sat with Charity once again being this close to her.
> 
> Charity snaked a hand around the back of Vanessa's neck and pulled her in closer as she dropped a chaste, gentle kiss to the other woman's lips. Charity knew _exactly_ what she was doing and made sure that the sultry expression didn't leave her face. She pulled back and tilted her head forwards just a little, capturing Vanessa's eyes with her own.
> 
> "Do you wanna go upstairs and find out?"
> 
> Vanessa swallowed heavily as her heart starting beating out her chest. She didn't know what she was doing and the furrow across her brow screamed it but what she _did_ know, was that she **so** wanted to go upstairs so she nodded, definitively, and then Charity lead her off the sofa toward them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've written a sex scene, so be gentle! Comments always welcome :) If you wanna say hi on [twitter](http://twitter.com/talented_gemx) or [tumblr](http://talentedgemx.tumblr.com/) then please do.

Vanessa didn't really know what to expect. It had been a quiet walk up the stairs, the air so thick with tension it was hard to breathe. Walking into Charity's bedroom only served to heighten the intensity, Charity quietly closing the door behind them before she turned to the bedside table just to her left, switching on the small lamp with a loud 'click' while Vanessa stood motionless in the space between the wardrobe and the bed.

 

Vanessa was facing Charity, watching her closely with a definite furrow in her brow, her chest rising and falling already quite rapidly and then Charity took a step toward her, her shoulders back and that lofty air about her that was normally annoyingly superior but right then was nothing but attractive as hell.

 

Charity tilted her head in that way that she did, a brief flash of her eyes as she kept them angled toward the floor and when she spoke she kept her voice as low and seductive as she could. "Wasn't sure if you were a lights on or lights off kinda girl, babe," she said as a playful smirk stretched across her lips.

 

Vanessa was getting more and more convinced since last night that Charity could make anything sound sexy. It seemed effortless, really, and it made a dryness coat the inside of her throat that she simply couldn't quench.

 

"Personally I'm a lights on girl," Charity continued as she took another step closer, knowing full well that Vanessa was now completely enraptured by her. She was in _her_ domain now, and Charity was an expert at commanding it. She bit on her bottom lip and shrugged her shoulder a little. "For the first time anyway."

 

Vanessa was in arms reach now and Charity flicked her eyes over her body, more desperate than she'd ever admit to know what lay beneath those clothes. More desperate still to know the taste of her skin. "But for you I thought I'd leave it half and half," Charity teased as she glanced up at the dim illumination the lamp offered. "You know..." she husked as her fingers came to rest on the zip of Vanessa's body warmer, starting to lower it tooth by tooth. "Until you know what you want."

 

The tingling heat between Vanessa's legs quickly became a throb, her mind going lucid as her eyes fell closed with the proximity of Charity's body. It was ridiculous, how Charity had done this to her. Going from arguing viscously downstairs in the bar yesterday to well... _this_. Being more turned on in a matter of minutes than she had been in her entire life.

 

Charity came closer still, right into her personal space as the zipper reached the bottom of her coat and as Vanessa's eyes trailed up Charity's body, she found herself a little intoxicated with the height of Charity standing over her, looking down at the zip with the tip of her tongue poised between her teeth, her ruffled hair dropping forwards over her shoulders and all Vanessa wanted to do was lean into her presence and let her do whatever the hell she wanted to her.

 

"I know what I want," Vanessa heard herself say, her words all breathy and her heart doing somersaults much like it did last night, in the love seat, when Charity's hands were on her and her tongue was in her mouth. Only now it was thumping hotly with anticipation, with the knowledge that those hands would be rid of clothing and barriers this time, and her tongue could do all those things but in other places. Better places, and all it would take was a nod.

 

Vanessa swallowed and it made her body shudder.

 

"Yeah?" Charity asked, and Vanessa nodded far too quickly.

 

Charity pushed the body warmer from Vanessa's shoulders and it hit the floor with a gentle 'thunk'. "Tell me what you want, babe," Charity whispered, and Vanessa could feel the breath ghosting across her lips.

 

There was almost no space between them at all and Charity's hands hovered over Vanessa's sides, her face still angled down toward Vanessa's cheek and the sheer proximity of the other woman was almost tipping Vanessa over the edge. She ran her tongue over her top lip as her hands reached out and grabbed the front of Charity's black shirt, her fingers clenching the baggy material between them and giving it a gentle tug.

 

"You," Vanessa sighed as her chest pushed out a heated breath, as if either of them was ever in any doubt as to why they were there and that was all it took for Charity to lean down and capture Vanessa's lips in a searing, maddening kiss.

 

**

 

It was better than the night before; so much more familiar and without the haze of alcohol making everything seem that much more heightened. Clearer, even, their senses firing so much more vividly and the delicious slide of their tongues a little frenzied as if both of them had missed the feeling of it.

 

Charity's hand cupped the back of Vanessa's neck and she held onto her with a strong grip, Vanessa's fingers still balled in Charity's shirt having now pulled her body tightly against her own.

 

It had only been a moment after their lips met that the moans began. All low and breathy and desperate as their hips pressed together, unconsciously letting the other know what they both wanted. What they both _needed_. Charity turned Vanessa and inched her against the bed, the backs of her knees brushing against the duvet as the kiss became deeper and more demanding. Charity's hands trailed down Vanessa's sides, purposefully slowing a little over her ribs so she could tease her thumbs just along the curve of her breasts.

 

It had the desired effect as Vanessa gasped into Charity's mouth, Charity then dropping her hands to the hem of Vanessa's blue jumper, tangling her fingers in it to make her intentions clear. When Vanessa only kissed her harder, her hands letting go of Charity's shirt as to accommodate what was coming Charity swiftly pulled the jumper up and over Vanessa's head, tossing it over her shoulder as Vanessa heaved in a few breaths, Charity momentarily distracted by the movement of her chest before Vanessa grabbed her shirt again and pulled her in once more.

 

Vanessa had only swiped her tongue across Charity's lower lip before she lowered the zip at the top of Charity's shirt, her fingers meeting over the exposed skin of her chest and then pulling the zipper down slowly. The kiss broke as Vanessa dropped her hands to Charity's hips, their foreheads not quite touching but close enough as their lips hovered just centimetres apart. Vanessa pulled Charity's shirt out of her jeans and if she wasn't mistaken the taller woman's chest hitched just a little, before Vanessa pushed the material up her body.

 

It was odd, for Charity, but only in the best way possible. Her body was on fire and her shirt wasn't even fully off yet. She couldn't remember a kiss being so sensual before and Charity had seduced a _lot_ of people. She wasn't sure why this was so different but it was, and all Charity wanted was more of it, consequences be damned.

 

Maybe it was because she wasn't used to a body so soft, lips so supple and hands so curious yet respectful at the same time. It had been so long since Charity had been with a gentle lover and it was all of sudden as if her body craved it. Vanessa was going to rely on her here, trust her with this experience and Charity was surprised Vanessa was allowing it but the things she was feeling as a result were something she genuinely needed, and she wasn't about to back away from it now. Even if she might regret whatever connection might form down the line. If there was one thing Charity was good at after all it was putting her feelings in a box and locking them away never to be dealt with again.

 

Vanessa pulled Charity's shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor at her side, another flash of desire flaring in Charity's eyes and then she gathered Vanessa in her arms, her head dipping instantly so she could press her lips to the side of Vanessa's neck.

 

All of a sudden it was a little rougher than before, a little more rushed as Charity's lips devoured Vanessa's neck and Vanessa couldn't help but gasp out loud at the sensation. Her head leaned to the side as her eyes fell closed, her hands circling Charity's shoulders before her fingertips dug into the soft, delicate skin of her back. Charity lightly bit her skin in response and the moan Vanessa released was practically indecent.

 

It had been a long time since Charity had felt another woman's skin against hers like this. An almost forgotten time but her body screamed to remember, as if it had finally sated a yearning she didn't even know she had.

 

Vanessa's skin tasted so good that Charity couldn't stop exploring it. She'd learned the night before of all the weak spots along the column of her neck, the places that would strike a chord deep within her and so she wasted no time in probing them incessantly with her tongue. She could feel it every time Vanessa laboured over a breath, each small gasp and body shudder that reverberated through Vanessa's skin and her heartbeat, well, Charity could almost feel that as well as she felt her own.

 

She tilted Vanessa's chin up with her forefinger firmly beneath the hinge of her jaw and thumb directly beneath her chin, lifting it right up so she could trail the tip of her tongue from the dip between Vanessa's collarbones, to just above the thin layer of skin over her pulse point where she then sucked, _hard_ , and Vanessa near melted where she stood.

 

Vanessa ran her nails down Charity's back in an instant reaction and it made Charity growl, almost, as a shudder erupted down her spine and then all of a sudden Charity was hungry. She released Vanessa's skin with a loud pop as a fire danced behind her eyes and then she kissed her again hurriedly, all tongue and lips and Vanessa was more than happy to reciprocate. She felt like she was putty in Charity's hands but she didn't care, completely and utterly ready to go wherever Charity wanted to take her.

 

Charity moaned into Vanessa's mouth as her hands dropped to her hips, her thumbs pressing into Vanessa's sides just above her hipbones and it made the shorter woman jerk, the sensation rolling through her like an explosion.

 

Vanessa's body was strong and taught beneath Charity's hands, a tightly wound coil that Charity desperately wanted to release and she absolutely couldn't wait to see Vanessa bend beneath her as she made her come. She moved her hands to the button on Vanessa's jeans, her fingertips dipping below the waistline as she tugged at the material a little, another chance for Vanessa to slow things down if she needed too.

 

All Vanessa did though was kiss her harder, her hands moving from Charity's back and grabbing at the sides of her jaw, pulling her closer as her hips, if Charity wasn't mistaken, bucked forwards and collided hers.

 

It made a smirk appear across Charity's lips and so she popped the button and lowered the zip, her heartbeat stepping up a gear when she felt the warmth of Vanessa's skin beneath her jeans.

 

As soon as Charity started to push the material down Vanessa felt the rush everywhere. She grunted into Charity's mouth and her hands dropped to those broad shoulders, gripping them intensely as Charity then broke the kiss, leaning down a bit so she could leverage the jeans down and around Vanessa's thighs.

 

They paused for a moment, Vanessa suddenly attempting to reign in what she was feeling but it really wasn't working, her right hand smoothing down Charity's arm and she was just about to ask what was wrong when she noticed the smug little grin adoring those kiss swollen lips.

 

Vanessa pulled in a breath and swallowed, her skin alive with _want_ and then Charity gave her a small shove causing her to fall backwards onto the bed, her jeans still clinging to her thighs and her legs dangling off the edge.

 

Charity still wore that smug expression, all cocky and sexy and irresistible at once and then she stood between Vanessa's legs, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip as she painstakingly dragged her eyes down Vanessa's body, appreciating perhaps for the first time just how goddamn beautiful she really was.

 

It was a very thirsty, lust fuelled look and Vanessa couldn't help but feel emboldened by it, really, especially when Charity's eyes darkened even further. It was definitely a thing, Vanessa now knew; how confident, suave and sexy as hell Charity Dingle with her make-out tousled hair, standing over her half dressed and looking at her like she wanted to fuck her till next Tuesday could make Vanessa's whole world turn to liquid and pool between her legs.

 

It was as if Charity knew it too, and it would have been annoying if it wasn't so God damn _good_ as well so Vanessa grinned, trying for wicked but not quite sure if she achieved it but then Charity reached for her jeans, pulled them from her legs with a couple of short, sharp, heavy tugs and any further coherent thought immediately migrated south, along with the rest of Vanessa's world.

 

Charity tossed the jeans and was quickly back between Vanessa's legs, her chin gesturing to the side and toward the headboard. "Scooch up, babe," she said softly, and then she started to undo her own jeans, too.

 

The only thing Vanessa could do was blink a few times, nod and then shuffle rather ungraciously toward the pillows at the top of the bed, her eyes now wide as she watched Charity take her jeans off.

 

Vanessa couldn't gauge how fast her heart was beating, rattling her ribcage as it was nor how much her nerve endings were firing beneath her skin. In that moment she wanted Charity on top of her more than she wanted anything else and as soon she was stood in front of her at the foot of the bed, in nothing but her black underwear Vanessa knew she was done for. Charity was breathtaking, utterly and completely and it was mind-blowing because two days ago Vanessa would've probably said she hated her, but now all she could think about was how good Charity was with her tongue and if she didn't touch her soon Vanessa felt like she might explode.

 

"So, babe," Charity began as she got onto all fours on the bed and crawled her way up to Vanessa's body, slowing and lowering herself over her when she was close enough. Charity briefly flicked her eyes to the lamp and then back again. "Lights on or off?" She halted her movement as she got to Vanessa's hips and dropped a chaste kiss to the bone there, the one protruding out just above the line of her underwear. "Last chance to decide."

 

Vanessa was stretched out fully on the bed, her body still tense and now flat to the mattress and pillows. Her eyes were closed and her voice was somewhere lost in her throat. "Uhmmm," she gasped as Charity kissed her hip again causing Vanessa's heart to lurch clear out of her chest. "I uhmm," she breathed heavily, "I really don't mind."

 

"Right then," Charity chuckled, her lips trailing a path across Vanessa's abdomen and coming to a stop just below her belly button, sucking the skin into her mouth lightly before releasing it. "On it is then," she husked, and Vanessa felt the vibrations of her words all the way through to her gut.

 

The arch of Vanessa's back was automatic, the same way her head tilted back into the pillows as she exhaled a very desperate, indecent breath, Charity's lips against her skin almost euphoric. As Charity moved higher she lowered more of her body onto Vanessa's so when her lips reached the top of her ribs, her whole side was pressed against the other woman's skin.

 

Vanessa revelled in it and couldn't get over how amazing the soft press of another woman's body felt against her own and when Charity's leg fell between hers well, it was the kind of contact she had longed for well before their drunken kiss in the cellar the night before. It made Vanessa spread her legs a little wider and if Charity didn't know how wet she was before, she certainly did then.

 

The moan Vanessa released shot along Charity's spine and it made her pause for a moment, that and the slick she suddenly felt cover her thigh. It made her jaw drop open a little, not only knowing but _feeling_ how much Vanessa wanted this. Wanted _her_. She couldn't remember the last time she felt anything like it and that fact was assaulting Charity as much as anything else.

 

She groaned a little as she gathered herself and placed a kiss at the centre of Vanessa's chest, her left hand sliding up Vanessa's side and over her material-covered breast, giving it a squeeze as she tilted her head up at the woman who was desperately trying to stop herself from writhing uncontrollably beneath her.

 

Charity's hand moved under Vanessa's arm and her fingers dug into the lower side of her shoulder blade. "Lift up a bit," she whispered, Vanessa's eyes opening to meet hers and they were practically black with lust.

 

Vanessa did as she was told but grabbed onto Charity's face, holding herself up and kissing her as if her life depended on it. Charity kissed her back just as hard, just as fiercely as her hand slid around Vanessa's back and flicked open her bra, pulling the strap down her arm as Vanessa's hips rocked up and pushed harder into her leg.

 

The bra came off in an instant and then they were kissing again, Vanessa not letting go of Charity's face for love nor money and Charity pulling Vanessa to her with a hand pressed to her back, remembering with vivid clarity how much she loved a woman's curves rolling against hers. She held Vanessa close as her tongue devoured her mouth, Vanessa making all the right noises as they moved together fervently, their hips starting to grind together unabashedly. It was delicious, really, and so much better than with Zoe, Charity remembered but then she pushed that thought right back out of her mind.

 

She felt Vanessa's hands slide around to her back and urgently unhook her bra, yanking at it a little shakily until Charity let her go for a moment so she could remove it and fling it across the room, along with the rest of their clothes.

 

Vanessa was still on her back, Charity now leaning over her, propped up on her right elbow and her left hand against the mattress on the other side of Vanessa's body. Charity stopped at first, wondering why Vanessa wasn't grabbing for her but then she realised as Vanessa licked her lips and couldn't divert her eyes away from Charity's chest. She had to remind herself that this was Vanessa's first time and made a point that she'd likely have to remind herself of that a few more times during the night. It was cute though, the way Vanessa was mesmerised, kind of like how she was during her first time with a woman way back when, although Charity was pretty sure she wasn't quite so obvious about it.

 

Charity grinned and inched herself a little further up the bed so the objects of Vanessa's attention were more directly in her eye line. "Go on then," Charity urged, the gravel in her voice increasing tenfold. Her eyes drifted shut as she tried not to get too carried away with wanting Vanessa to kiss her somewhere below her neck. She knew it would be good and her insides clenched at the prospect of it. "You know you want to," Charity breathed and she could feel her restraint ebbing away.

 

Vanessa didn't need telling twice and with a confidence that surprised Charity, she reached up and closed her lips around one of Charity's nipples, sucking it slowly once and then twice as her hand came up to cup and tease the other.

 

This time Charity's groan was guttural as warmth flooded through her, pooling in the centre of her chest and then cascading down her body. Her skin flushed and her hips rocked down heavily onto Vanessa's thigh attempting rather desperately to find some form of relief.

 

Charity was completely over her now, her weight mostly pressed into Vanessa's left side with her body more or less hovering directly above her. Charity's left hand was still against the mattress, her fingers digging into the sheets as she used it to leverage herself more into Vanessa's mouth, her thigh firmly pushed against Vanessa's heat as Vanessa's thigh was against hers.

 

Charity knew she was wet, more so than she thought she would be and now Vanessa knew it too as Charity continued to grind herself down against her thigh. Vanessa was into it though, so, _so_ into it and it only became more evident as time pressed on. She was responding in all the right ways, much more blatantly than Charity would've thought and as soon as Charity had rocked her hips against her the first time, Vanessa's left hand was hooked around Charity's hip and urging her on.

 

Vanessa flexed her fingers and it pulled Charity out of her trance. She licked at her lips, aware all of a sudden that they were dry and wanting quite urgently to put them to better use. Charity would be damned if for Vanessa's first time she wasn't going to show her exactly how much she could rock her world. She was going to make her come, _hard_ , multiple times and when Vanessa eventually walked out of here Charity was going to make sure she damn well had the best night of her life.

 

Charity pulled back, her skin leaving Vanessa's mouth with a pop and Vanessa almost whined at the loss until she was sated by the press of Charity's entire body as she lowered herself down, her lips immediately at Vanessa's neck as she sucked the skin hard, her teeth leaving faint marks before she moved them up, running her lips across the curve of Vanessa's jaw all the way to her ear where she bit and pulled at the lobe.

 

Vanessa couldn't handle the sensations and it felt like she was drowning. The dance of their bodies, the heavy, incessant pounding in her chest that thumped beneath her skin and all the way down to her toes was overwhelming. She didn't know where she felt it more; her core when Charity rolled against her with the pressure of her thigh in exactly the right place between her legs. Her chest as they moved together and she could feel the urgent press of Charity's hardened nipples against her skin or the hot trail of Charity's lips as they ravaged her throat. It was delirious and salacious all at once. She was burning up and whatever Charity wanted to do to her she was more than happy to allow.

 

Charity descended down Vanessa's chest with purpose, tracing her tongue over the curve of her breast before circling her nipple with the tip, teasing the erect flesh roughly before she engulfed it in the heat of her mouth, alternating between sucking gently, breathing over it hotly and nipping at the tip with her teeth.

 

It was making Vanessa shudder, her whole body reacting maddeningly to the feelings shooting along her spine, spiralling outwards and then back again like a tidal wave with nowhere to go. Vanessa moaned loudly as her right hand gripped the sheets at her side and her left lost itself in Charity's hair, clenching at the roots slightly whenever Charity used her teeth.

 

Charity quickly moved to the other nipple, lavishing just as much attention on it while her free hand came up to continue teasing the other. It was making Charity gasp and moan too, never one to be quiet during sex or to shy away from expressing what she wanted. The more Vanessa rolled her hips and arched her body fully into her own the more Charity was losing it, too. She wanted Vanessa to fall apart beneath her, she wanted to taste her arousal on her tongue and when Charity began to move lower still, kissing, licking and caressing her skin Vanessa growled out her name so needily that Charity felt everything she had left fall torturously between her legs.

 

Charity needed to move, though, because it was killing her, Vanessa's thigh pressing so heavily into her every time she rolled her hips. It was exquisite, and Charity had never wanted to come so much in her life except she couldn't, not yet. Not before Vanessa had at least once and certainly not before Vanessa had even touched her. She positioned herself fully between Vanessa's legs, pushing them apart that little bit wider as she moved lower. Vanessa shuffled herself up against the pillows with an expression on her face like she was barely keeping a grip on reality and if Charity's brain wasn't currently in several gutters, she would've stopped to acknowledge how beautiful she truly was in that moment.

 

Charity's right hand ran along the underside of Vanessa's left thigh, her index finger teasing a line from the top and down toward the back of her knee. Vanessa exhaled as her chest juddered, and Charity leaned her head down and turned to face Vanessa's right thigh to place a soft, open-mouthed kiss directly onto her skin.

 

Vanessa thought she might come right then, in all fairness, as she felt the fluttering in her chest start to grow bigger. She knew her mind was somewhere up by the ceiling and her body was losing touch with its senses. All she could feel were Charity's lips and her scandalous fingertips as they played havoc with her emotions but all she wanted was to feel Charity inside her. Fingers, tongue, she didn't care and she honestly wasn't above begging for it if Charity didn't take pity on her soon.

 

Charity edged her mouth closer but it still wasn't enough, her hand then hooking Vanessa's leg over her shoulder before she dug her nails into the underside of her thigh making Vanessa shout out, her upper body jumping off the mattress as her eyes shot open and she gazed down at the woman between her legs with the most wretched expression Charity had ever seen.

 

"Charity..." Vanessa heaved out almost painfully, her voice much more of an erratic, aching plea this time but the desperation in her eyes was unmistakable. "Please..." she implored as the furrow in her brow deepened and to say Charity liked it when she was pleaded with during sex was an understatement, but to hear it fall from Vanessa's lips in such a way made her own clit start to pulse.

 

Charity smirked devilishly and made Vanessa wait only a moment longer before she inhaled deeply and then dragged her tongue through thick, soaking wet heat from just above Vanessa's opening to the tip of her quivering clit.

 

Vanessa's head hit the pillows like a dead weight and this time both of her hands sunk deep into the sheets, grabbing them so hard between her fingers that it made her knuckles turn white. Her body tensed as once more her back arched, staying that way until Charity's tongue flicked against her clit, slowly at first and then relentlessly as Vanessa let out moan after moan of sheer delight.

 

The pounding in Vanessa's chest quickly dropped to beneath her abs, a yearning there that was building enormously, spreading through her groin and shooting down her legs. It was all encompassing, her body on fire and then Vanessa felt Charity's fingertips add to her heat and she simply couldn't contain it. It was almost too much, poised on the brink as she was as Charity's fingers swirled a little, circling her opening as her lips enclosed fully around her clit.

 

"Jesus Christ!" Charity heard Vanessa shout as she slowly pushed in two fingers although she didn't need to with how wet she was. There was no resistance and Vanessa was quick to clench around her, pulling her in deeper and Charity let out a heady groan against Vanessa's still throbbing clit.

 

The way she tasted was amazing, and Charity felt like she could spend an eternity teasing and exploring but the desire to see Vanessa come more than won out. She felt incredible around her fingers and Charity had long forgotten the pleasure it brought, to make another woman fall apart in this way. It was like nothing else and when Charity added a third finger, making Vanessa pant out something unintelligible, she sucked even harder on her clit and curled her fingers forwards, continuing a rhythm that she knew Vanessa couldn't ride out much longer.

 

Vanessa's mouth fell open as her whole body clenched, Charity's fingers trapped as they pushed into that soft spot that was about to make Vanessa crumble in all the right places.

 

"Oh my God, yes!" Vanessa screamed, her shoulders coming off the mattress a little and all of a sudden she reached down and grasped Charity's head, urging her up, needing to attach herself to something and not let go.

 

Charity levered herself up on her elbow letting Vanessa's leg fall from her shoulder as the other woman clung to her, a hand at the back of Charity's neck pulling her forward as fast as she could. She wrapped her other arm around Charity's shoulders and kissed her savagely as soon as she was within reach, her legs hooking immediately around Charity's hips.

 

Charity's tongue plunged into Vanessa's mouth, her fingers jolting forward a little with the movement and then she flicked her thumb across Vanessa's clit a few times, applying just the right amount of pressure to finally make Vanessa's body still and then she broke, hard and fast and completely as Vanessa pulled her lips away to suck in a lung full of air, her body shaking wildly as the sensations engulfed her tumultuously. Her moan was loud enough to fill the room and she kept on filling it as wave after wave of pleasure swept through her, her skin absolutely buzzing with sensation and she had never before in her life felt anything even remotely close to it.

 

Her chest continued to hammer and her hands weren't losing their tremor but her grip loosened a bit around Charity's shoulders, even if inside she refused to let go of her fingers. Her walls were still vibrating and her eyes remained closed as she tried rather fruitlessly, to calm down her breathing.

 

Charity was shaking a little too. Her eyes heavily lidded as she gazed down at the woman beneath her, her heart rattling her ribcage rapidly and her fingers still moving slightly, enjoying the warmth and softness too much to remove them just yet. It was to heighten Vanessa's experience, though, she told herself firmly, because being amazing in bed was something Charity prided herself on, after all. The stirring in her own chest wasn't something to be concerned with, because fantastic sex always did that, right?

 

After a good few minutes Vanessa opened her eyes and noticed that Charity's were closed, her lips slightly parted as she seemed to be focused on steadying her breathing. It was too intimate to be awkward, and Vanessa's mind was far too cloudy and sated to feel anything other than post-orgasmic bliss.

 

It helped that Charity's eyes were closed, though, as Vanessa wasn't sure what she'd find if she should open them. Vanessa's body though proved traitorous and twitched involuntarily causing Charity's peaceful expression to flicker, a little, Vanessa bringing her hand up to cup Charity's cheek for a reason she wasn't at all sure of.

 

Charity swallowed as she felt the touch and her eyes cracked open slowly, her gaze somewhere around Vanessa's chin before it darted up and then back down again. Charity could sense Vanessa was about to say something and so she started to remove her fingers, slowly and deliberately making Vanessa's words stick somewhere in her throat as another wave of pleasure rolled through her.

 

Vanessa hummed deeply as her hand fell from Charity's face, her eyes falling closed again as she bit down on her lower lip.

 

Charity looked her then, the euphoric expression steadily back on Vanessa's face and the power quickly back in Charity's hands. "Don't worry," she uttered and the depth in her tone was enough to make Vanessa hum again. The gratified smirk was back on Charity's lips and then she leaned in and nipped at the side of Vanessa's jaw, her fingers now free as they pressed into the skin around her hip. "I'm not finished with you yet," she whispered, as her mouth moved against Vanessa's ear, the words rumbling heavily passed her lips.

 

Vanessa exhaled as she collapsed fully into the mattress, Charity's lips returning to explore the column of her neck.

 

"That is," Charity grinned, the playfulness back in her tone full force. "If you can handle it?" She quirked a brow up and waited for Vanessa's response.

 

Vanessa couldn't resist the grin that tugged at her lips, too, and she chanced a glance at the woman hovering over her. "Oh I can more than handle it," she breathed.

 

The expression on Charity's face changed to one of a challenge that had just been accepted and a definitive glint appeared brightly in her eyes. She flicked an eyebrow up. "Well we'll see about that," she teased, and then she started to move down Vanessa's body once more.

 

**

 

Vanessa's head was spinning, delirious in more ways than one and if she hadn't of come three times already she'd probably be a lot more nervous but Charity was _needy_ , and by the way her body was taught and rocking heavily against her thigh Vanessa knew she was close to breaking.

 

They were facing each other, lying on their sides with their bodies more or less moulded together.

 

"What do you want?" Vanessa asked quietly as she leaned in and placed a kiss over Charity's collarbone. She heard the slight tremor in her voice and she really hoped Charity was too worked up to notice it as well.

 

Vanessa had to steel herself, a little. She wasn't a shy person, especially sexually but it _had_ been a long time and it was hard to shake the feeling that she would be a disappointment, particularly after what Charity had just done to her.

 

"Fingers?" she continued, trying for a decidedly more seductive and confident tone. She kissed Charity a little further along her collarbone. "Tongue?"

 

Charity had never been so turned on in her entire life. It was crazy, but it was far too late to do anything about it now. Making Vanessa come another twice wound her up tenfold and she was certain it would be a very long time before she forgot what it was like to make Vanessa came _hard_ in her mouth.

 

Charity chuckled as she sighed breathlessly, digging her fingertips into Vanessa's hip which made Vanessa tense the muscle in her thigh, pressing it more solidly against the juncture of Charity's legs. "Fingers are a good place to start, babe," she murmured in response, another shudder rippling through her and warming her chest.

 

Vanessa felt the vibration of Charity's words through her skin as she kissed the base of her throat, the grit in it making Vanessa's body twitch. She dropped her hand to Charity's thigh and grazed her fingertips along the skin causing Charity to sigh languidly as they started to inch upwards. She kissed her neck again in the dip above her collarbone as thanks to the night before Vanessa knew Charity had a weak spot there that made her chest hitch and shudder.

 

Vanessa sucked the skin harder as her fingers pushed into muscle, leaving a pale trail in their wake as they moved toward Charity's heat.

 

Charity actually hissed it felt so good and the throb between her legs was driving her insane. Her mind could only think about her pleasure and every inch of her just ached to be touched. She bit on her lip to stifle a groan but she couldn't suppress the gasp that Vanessa drew from her, when she released the skin from between her lips.

 

"Ness..." Charity husked as her hands gripped Vanessa a little tighter, her fingers really not moving as quickly as Charity needed them to.

 

Vanessa paused and looked at Charity's chest, her fingers idling in the 'v' at the top of her thigh. She was nervous about a whole lot of things and touching a woman intimately for the first time was only the tip of the iceberg, really. She couldn't dislodge the lump at the back of her throat and she felt the sudden need to voice what she was feeling.

 

She licked her lips quickly. "I've never-"

 

"Doesn't matter," Charity interrupted, knowing exactly what Vanessa was about to say. She glanced down at Vanessa with dark eyes and then gave her hip an encouraging squeeze. "It really isn't gonna take much, babe," she said with a breathy laugh, her throat however thick with desire as arousal clung to her every inch.

 

Vanessa smiled, a little, still gazing at the skin covering Charity's chest and when Charity's nails dug into her hip a moment later she did the thing she'd wanted to since the love seat last night, if she was honest. She moved her fingers across and ran them over Charity's clit.

 

If Vanessa had wanted to stop Charity would've been fine with that but she was so, _so_ glad she didn't. The pleasure rocketed through her like a thunderbolt and it seemed like everything just refused to stop shaking. Charity was _so_ wet and _so_ sensitive and Vanessa seemed to get the message by the way Charity pushed herself harder into the touch.

 

Charity's moan was measureless and she lost herself to the bombardment of sensation overwhelming her.

 

Vanessa continued the movement of her fingers, running them up and down the length of Charity's clit and then back and forth over it, revelling in how silky and soft she felt. How delicate and wet and responsive that the lump in Vanessa's throat simply got bigger and bigger by the second.

 

Vanessa shimmied down the bed so she could shower Charity's chest with heated kisses, wanting all of a sudden to taste her skin everywhere and make her feel as good as she possibly could.

 

Charity though was rapidly reaching her peak and honestly she was passed caring how quickly it was going to happen. All of the sensations ambushing her senses were everything Charity didn't know she had missed and _fuck_ , how she wanted to fall over the edge and come like she hadn't in God only knew how long.

 

She rocked her hips up trying to get Vanessa to move her fingers lower, grinding in a way that meant she needed more and Vanessa more than took the hint. She lowered the tips of her fingers to the source of Charity's heat and the groan Charity let out was thunderous, Vanessa closing her lips around a nipple as she pushed two fingers deep inside her.

 

Vanessa's mind was gone. She had never felt something so soft and warm in her life and she knew she'd never get tired of wanting to feel it again. Charity felt utterly amazing and Vanessa could tell she was close so she moved her fingers again but all of a sudden Charity clasped a hand around Vanessa's upper arm, making her stop her movements abruptly.

 

Charity breathed, her entire body pulsing as Vanessa moved inside her. It was so good Charity's heart pumped wildly, her blood boiling as it raced beneath her skin. She bit on her lip as her whole being thrummed, her head tilting down but her eyes staying closed as she gripped at Vanessa's arm, needing to regain some form of control but after a moment she tugged the arm closer, praying that Vanessa would get the hint to continue.

 

She did and so Vanessa restarted her rhythm, gentle for a moment but then more fiercely as Charity's moans got louder. Vanessa added a third finger which made Charity's hand slide up to Vanessa's shoulder, engaging it in such a death grip as her head tipped back and her body began to tense.

 

Vanessa felt Charity's walls tighten around her so she doubled her efforts, her fingertips rubbing against her front wall fervently making Charity shout out, her body going still for a moment or two before Vanessa felt even more wetness coat her hand and then Charity's entire being rocked viscerally.

 

Charity's heart thrashed her chest endlessly and she could feel its beat in the back of her throat. She felt electrified and her body purred with the pleasure of someone who hadn't had sex like that in an absolute age. Every part of her was warm and fuzzy and she dragged air into her lungs raggedly as she tried to control her chest.

 

Her head was still tipped back and she opened her eyes a sliver, the grin unabashedly spread across her face seeing as how there was no way Vanessa could see it. Her grip had softened on Vanessa's shoulder and Charity could tell the smaller woman was still curled in slightly to her chest, her breath panting out against her breastbone. It was a good few minutes before Vanessa started to remove her fingers and the sensation caused Charity's eyes to drift closed once more.

 

Vanessa was exhausted, her body still tingling from the exertion and the pleasure of what she'd just done to Charity. Her heart though had dulled to a firm but heavy thud, much slower than before but still causing a shudder each time it struck. When she felt Charity loosen around her fingers she withdrew them slowly, a faint hum emanating from the taller woman who then rolled over fully onto her back, heaving in a very satisfied and content breath as she did.

 

Vanessa watched her for a minute as Charity angled her head away, her eyes remaining closed the entire time and then Vanessa did the same, mirroring Charity's position on her side of the bed. Vanessa lay back and just breathed, both attempting to process and not process at the same time. She folded her hands neatly over her stomach and couldn't stop the flashbacks that started to rattle through her mind. Powerful didn't even begin to describe it.

 

**

 

Vanessa had no idea how long they lay there for but eventually the idea of tomorrow hit her and all of a sudden Vanessa's eyes shot open and her mouth dropped open, a bit.

 

She'd slept with Charity Dingle. _Charity_. The woman she'd come over to talk to about keeping quiet about last night. To spare her blushes over a drunken kiss and any questions about her sexuality it might bring.

 

So now what?

 

Vanessa turned her head to the side and glared at Charity who was for all intents and purposes, more or less rolled over onto her other side. She was peaceful, though, and her breathing had returned to a gentle rise and fall of her chest so it was easy for Vanessa to assume she had fallen asleep. Fallen asleep as if she _hadn't_ just caused Vanessa a huge crisis of sexuality in the space of twenty-four hours or like she hadn't just completely turned her world on its head via some rather mind-blowing sex.

 

Vanessa's head lulled back to the centre of the pillow so she once again gazed up at the ceiling feeling if she was honest, a little on the brink of panic as her chest suddenly quickened its breathing but this time it didn't feel good at all. She swallowed heavily and then sat bolt upright in bed, the need to do _something_ scratching at her skin.

 

"Should I go?" Vanessa asked hurriedly but quietly, suddenly awkward and anxious all at once.

 

Charity wasn't asleep and she could hear the anxiety in Vanessa's voice loud and clear and all of a sudden it dominated the room. About what though exactly she couldn't really place. It was just sex, after all, right? However great it was.

 

Charity sighed but it was quiet, something in her knowing that sarcastic comments weren't the way to go this time. She wondered briefly why she should care but then she knew the answer to that, really, and in that moment she wasn't about to let Vanessa feel any shame.

 

Or maybe she was just too tired to be amusing.

 

"Why?" Charity mumbled as she rolled her head in Vanessa's direction, her eyes still closed though as she made a show of getting more comfy against her pillows. "It'll be cold out there. It's warm in here."

 

Vanessa cast a look over her shoulder and down at her bed mate and worried about how she could be so unaffected. It was singlehandedly the best experience of Vanessa's life and Charity was acting like it carried no weight at all. Luckily though, Vanessa's brain was still a little delirious about the whole thing and she couldn't help but smile a touch at the woman who had just rocked her world. She looked contented, actually, as she lay there with her eyes closed, her breathing soft and Vanessa wondered albeit fleetingly, how many other one night stands Charity hadn't immediately kicked out of her bed.

 

Vanessa chewed on her bottom lip as her chest felt warm again but then she quickly turned her head away before she fell down that particular rabbit hole, because _that_ way of thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere at all.

 

_It's Charity_ , Vanessa thought to herself. _Take it for what it was_ and then she was back to worrying whether she should leave or not.

 

At the lack of any response Charity cracked open an eye to find Vanessa's naked back staring at her, Vanessa's hair all sex-messy as it hung loosely across her shoulders and down the smooth expanse of her back. Charity now knew the sounds Vanessa made when it arched beneath her and she knew what that pale, flawless skin tasted like-

 

"But..." Vanessa started, the indecision still there and Charity quickly cleared her mind and exhaled a small breath.

 

"-Look just, come 'ere," Charity cut in. "If you want," she added in a hurry, feigning irritation as she furrowed her brow and turned on her side toward Vanessa, still keeping the space between them, however. "And bring the duvet with you, yeah?" she instructed, thinking that if Vanessa was going to stay she may as well make herself useful. Charity hated being cold during the night.

 

Vanessa glanced at her again and then reached down to the duvet that was folded back on itself at the foot of the bed, shuffling back with the top of it clenched in her hand. She didn't really know what to do, if she was honest, but she wanted to stay more than she wanted to go even if it was just to prolong the light stirring that was still going on inside her. Plus it had been a _really_ long time since she'd fallen asleep next to a naked, warm body.

 

Charity felt Vanessa begin to lower herself down as the mattress dipped beside her and she reached out blindly to grab at the duvet before she pulled it up under her arm. She was absolutely exhausted but strangely felt kind of content and actually a little proud of how the evening had gone. It was odd but there was a weird stirring in her chest that she really didn't want to think about.

 

"Don't forget the light, babe," Charity added and then she heard Vanessa sigh, a slight ruffling of the sheets and then the 'click' of the light as it went off.

 

Vanessa settled onto her back and if it was awkward she didn't really feel it. Confusion was more the emotion that dominated her mind. She closed her eyes and pushed out a long breath, trying not to focus on what the hell had just happened as she knew there would be plenty of time for that tomorrow. All she wanted to do was drift off to sleep and if anything think about how good Charity had made her feel because right then, all she needed was that contentment again.

 

As if Charity knew of the barely held at bay turmoil threatening to keep Vanessa awake all night, she stirred a little as a noise came from her throat that sounded like she was pretty much asleep already but then Vanessa felt her move closer. Close enough that Vanessa could feel Charity's breath against the curve of her shoulder and then her hand as it swept across her stomach beneath the duvet, coming to rest just over her hip. Her fingers squeezed around the bone a little before they went slack and lay still.

 

Vanessa was surprised to say the least but then of course it wasn't the first surprising thing to happen that night. She spent a moment or so staring at the curve of Charity's cheek, the only part of her visible in the outside light from the window and by all accounts Charity was now out for the count. Vanessa sighed again as she smiled a little, snuggling down as her eyes closed and her head lulled in Charity's direction, her hand moving beneath the duvet to rest just over Charity's forearm.

 

If nothing else Vanessa supposed she had learned that Charity Dingle was a cuddler and that above anything else strangely enough, made her feel more relaxed than it should have but for one night at least, Vanessa was prepared to take it.

 

 


	3. Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after Charity's first meeting with Ryan in the park, all she needs is some cuddle-time alone with her girlfriend to feel a little better.

Charity shifted a little in her arms. Just a small murmur and a dip of her head where it was pressed against Vanessa's chest. The arm that was curled possessively around her waist flexed too, Charity's fingers digging into her side a touch before they relaxed again.

 

Vanessa angled her head down and pushed her lips to the top of Charity's head, kissing just above her hairline gently as she too, tightened her grip on the woman in her arms, curled up all snug beneath her chin.

 

They were on the sofa in the back room of the Woolpack, Vanessa having followed her girlfriend in from the bar when she was due her break. Vanessa was worried, of course she was. Had been for what felt like months now and even more so since Charity had returned from her meeting with Ryan in the park. She had seemed even quieter than usual, even more withdrawn and after explaining what had happened she just returned to work. Just like that, not wanting to talk about it any further and so Vanessa gave her a little time before she joined her in the pub, sitting at the bar and nursing a solitary pint before Charity finally went on her break.

 

It amazed her really, how little Charity seemed to think of herself. How unworthy and awful and undeserving she thought she was. Vanessa thought she deserved the world, to be fair, and that she was in fact the strongest person she had ever met. Bar none. What she must've been through even after Bails had left his mark for her to still think at forty-two, that she was weak and worthless made Vanessa's blood boil. She blamed everyone Charity had ever met for not showing her an ounce of kindness, and _she_ was going to make this beautiful creature in her arms think differently if it was the last thing she ever did.

 

Vanessa let her head fall back against the arm of the sofa, her chin fitting back snugly over the top of Charity's head. The fingers of her left hand trailing delicately along the back of her elbow, around into the crease of her arm and then back again.

 

It had been a while before Vanessa discovered that Charity found an immense amount of comfort in this kind of gentle touching. Just like every now and then she would rub the underside of her chin against the top of Charity's head. Not heavily, only enough to disturb her hair a little and let Charity know she was still wrapped around her. Protecting her.

 

It was late one morning a few weeks back, as they lazed in bed after a rather energetic and drawn out sex session that the more Charity felt her presence as they lay tangled together, regardless of whether she was asleep or not the longer Charity would stay there, dozing and content and wrapped up in a bubble she was perhaps reluctant to leave. Of course since Charity first revealed her past it lent more weight to Vanessa's theory and the more time she spent trying to sooth her girlfriend in this way, whenever Charity would allow it.

 

Affectionate touching was something Charity only indulged in when they were completely alone, but this time as soon as soon as Vanessa had brought two steaming hot mugs of tea over, placing them down on the coffee table and then sitting down next to her on the sofa, Charity had thrown her a rather forlorn look, her brow all furrowed before she curled into Vanessa's side rather uncharacteristically. Almost as if she didn't care who might walk in and find them this way, Charity had pushed against Vanessa until she was wedged between her and the cushions, Vanessa lying along the edge with her right arm around Charity's tense, broad shoulders.

 

She wasn't asleep, Vanessa could tell, but her mind was working as she dozed and so the mugs had remained where they were, untouched as Vanessa supplied the cuddles and comfort her girlfriend clearly craved. She knew she would be anything Charity needed, anything at all because what she felt for her was insurmountable. She loved her, and she knew she would regardless of what else life might have in store for them.

 

Vanessa pressed another light kiss to Charity's head who she then felt move and clench within her arms, a sleepy mumble coming from those lips she loved to kiss so much as Charity yawned and stretched in her secluded space on the small sofa. Charity's left knee was bent underneath both of Vanessa's legs which were propped up on the opposite arm, Charity's right leg stretched out alongside them and her foot hooked around the sole of Vanessa's right one.

 

Charity knew she would cramp up soon if she didn't move, the sofa only big enough for children to stretch out on and find comfortable. Children and of course her tiny girlfriend.

 

Charity's hand was gripping Vanessa's side and she pulled it back a bit, leaving it to rest on Vanessa's stomach as her head angled up, her eyes blinking sleepily causing Vanessa to chuckle a little at the adorableness of it.

 

It was a few moments before Charity gathered herself, still not wanting to move though and as long as Chas wasn't coming to find her then there was no way she was moving from her girlfriends arms. Unless cramp got her, whichever came first.

 

"You okay?" Vanessa asked, her hand dropping from Charity's arm and sliding down to interlace her fingers with Charity's over her stomach.

 

"Mnhnmm," Charity responded, her hand coming up to rub at her eyes before she linked her fingers back with Ness'. "Is it bedtime yet?" she huffed in that adorable grumpy way she knew Vanessa liked, earning herself another chuckle from her girlfriend before Charity snuggled her head back in against Vanessa's chest.

 

"Not yet, no," Vanessa replied quietly, Charity hearing the words vibrate beneath her ear. Vanessa tried to look down at her. "Any excuse to get me upstairs, huh?"

 

"Don't pretend you don't love it," Charity murmured back, her lips pressing a soft kiss against Vanessa's shirt, right above her breastbone.

 

Vanessa grinned widely as she turned her head a little so her lips were in close at Charity's temple, her thumb rubbing over the back of her hand. "Who's pretending?" she whispered.

 

Charity smiled and made a soft, content noise in the back of her throat as she rolled her head up and nosed Vanessa's chin away from her, nudging at her jaw so she could press her lips against the soft skin along the column of Vanessa's throat.

 

It made Vanessa hum as her breath hitched a little, her eyes falling closed as her right hand gripped at the material of Charity's top where it lay, trapped between her girlfriend and the sofa cushions.

 

"Babe," Vanessa breathed as she felt Charity's lips dance teasingly along her skin and up towards her ear, angling her chin up even though she was meant to be chastising her. "You know what that does to me."

 

She did know, obviously, and rather than answer Charity just let her tongue join in too causing Vanessa to whimper, a little, and turn her head to side so Charity had even more skin to indulge herself in. Vanessa's hand was quick to let go of Charity's top, sliding itself up and over her shoulder to get lost in that beautifully rumpled, silky soft hair.

 

Vanessa flinched a little when Charity lightly bit at the skin just below her ear and toward the crook of her jaw, her eyes flying open too as she pulled away a touch, looking down at her girlfriend who was grinning up at her wickedly.

 

It made Vanessa grin, too, and the hand that was on her stomach playing with Charity's fingers came up so she could tap her index finger against Charity's jaw. "God, you know how sensitive my neck is," she said around a soft exhale.

 

Charity nodded a touch, her eyes dropping back to the place in question. "Where aren't you sensitive, babe?" she husked as she leveraged herself up a bit on her arm and collided her lips back behind Vanessa's ear.

 

Vanessa's body scrunched up against the attention Charity was lavishing on her neck, making her squeal and jerk as Charity became more playful. Vanessa felt her skin ripple as teeth nipped at her, Charity's right hand moving from her stomach to her side and acting to pin her down, just as her right leg came over and anchored down both of hers.

 

"Charity..." Vanessa laughed preparing for the onslaught, not expecting her girlfriend to be anywhere near _this_ playful but glad of it nonetheless. "Don't!" Her whole body tensed and her eyes clenched shut, her left hand pushing at Charity's shoulder not at all forcefully as she didn't particularly want to escape. Instead she enjoyed the feeling of Charity's lips and teeth teasing her skin even if they were sending shots of electricity down her spine each time.

 

"C'mon babe," Charity breathed into her neck, sucking the skin into her mouth and releasing it just shy of leaving a mark. She leaned back a little so she could stare down at her, lowering her voice to a deep rasp. "You can do better than that," she grinned with a challenge thick in her eyes.

 

"Oh," Vanessa flustered, a little out of breath from all her wriggling. She raised her eyebrows as Charity's tone hit that all too familiar place in her gut, her fingers folding over the curve of Charity's shoulder. "You know I can."

 

They stared at each other for a good few minutes, both caught between sharing the moment that had suddenly appeared and bracing themselves for whoever was going to move first. Charity could tell Vanessa was waiting for her to decide what was going to develop, her lower lip caught between her teeth as her palm pressed gently into Charity's shoulder. All Charity wanted to do was take that lip between her own, kiss her and have her know just how amazing she'd been. The kind of steadfast support Charity didn't even know could exist, really, let alone have it come from someone who didn't even have to be there, if she didn't want to be.

 

But Vanessa was; always. Constant in her affection and reassurance and Charity knew, without a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that support. She would've run, probably, both in mind and body. It was a dangerous place to be in, realising that being without someone scared her to death but it was getting easier, every day that passed to accept that this was her life now. With _this_ woman. This amazing, wonderful woman who made her heart beat so happily it was getting harder not to tell her as much. Not to shout it at anyone who would listen because when Vanessa looked at her like she was right then, the only thing Charity could think about was how much she loved her.

 

Charity's heart thumped harder as she moved her hand, bringing it up slowly from Vanessa's side to cup her cheek, tracing her thumb in a line from just below her eye, down toward the edge of her jaw before moving it back to rub over the ridge of her cheekbone.

 

The look on Charity's face took Vanessa's breath away. The playful challenge from before having dropped away completely and was replaced with most avid expression of devotion she had ever seen. The strength of it made Vanessa's lips part a little, a silent gasp releasing as her tongue moved across them to alleviate their sudden dryness. Charity's eyes flicked down to them quickly as she did it, only for a second though before they darted back to up her eyes. They were mesmerising, Vanessa thought and she couldn't for the life of her understand why anyone would want to hurt this woman. She was everything, really, a person with the kindest soul, softest touch and most captivating presence Vanessa had ever experienced. If the time was taken to actually _see_.

 

Vanessa pushed her cheek into Charity's palm, losing herself so easily in the power of her touch and the look in her gorgeous green eyes which Vanessa could never, ever get enough of. Her hand moved from where it rested on Charity's shoulder and up the back of her neck, finding its way into her hair as her fingers massaged at the base of Charity's skull in exactly the way Vanessa knew she liked it. Almost immediately green eyes fell shut as she pressed her head back into the touch, a pleasurable groan falling from her lips.

 

When Charity's eyes opened they were heavily lidded, her breathing now deep and her pupils blown wide, the look so intense Vanessa felt her chest hitch.

 

"Charity..." she whispered, her breath a little unsteady and the answering smile that spread across Charity's face made her heart flutter.

 

Charity lowered her head and moved in closer, her weight heavy over her girlfriend below and Vanessa wrapped her arms around her, drawing her in tight as she felt Charity's breath dance over her lips.

 

Vanessa yelped loudly as Charity's fingers dug into both of her sides, her head tight in at her neck as she cackled mercilessly into her ear, Vanessa's eyes wide as she realised what was happening. She quickly screwed them shut as her hands clawed at Charity's back and shoulders, desperately trying to pull her away.

 

"Ahhhhh!" Vanessa yelled as she squirmed wildly, wriggling as best she could underneath her girlfriend to dodge the ferocious tickling but she was trapped. Well and truly at Charity's mercy who was enjoying this far too much, Vanessa thought, if the heavy chuckling in her ear was anything to go by.

 

It was only for show, though, as Charity's fingers weren't as insistent as they could've been, the pressure only slight and enough to ease the heavy atmosphere that had built up just before. It was still a dirty trick though, Vanessa considered, and the more delighted Charity became the harder Vanessa pulled at her shoulders, squirming and writhing as much as possible.

 

"Oi!" Chas bellowed as she barged into the room, taking one glance at the sofa before she rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing room in a couple of long strides and coming to a stop in front of the dining table. "Put her down!" she pointed at no one in particular, folding her arms firmly over her chest and leaning back against the table.

 

Charity pulled back and eased up off of Vanessa a little, Vanessa getting a final push in for good measure so she could sit up slightly against the arm. She threw in a disgruntled pout for effect which failed tremendously in removing the smile from Charity's face.

 

"Can hear the two of you out there!" Chas continued, turning her attention solely to her cousin, her eyes going a little wide. "Take it you're feeling better now, are you?"

 

It wasn't that Chas wasn't sympathetic to what Charity was going through, but she did have one or two problems of her own to deal with as well, not that anyone knew of them of course. Chas sighed as looked at them, Vanessa whacking Charity with the nearest cushion as they both clamoured to sit up properly, an amused frown on Vanessa's face as Charity feigned shock and glowered a little at the offending cushion. Chas couldn't help but smirk, as sickening as it was no one could deny how cute they were together.

 

Chas cleared her throat, making herself serious again. "Hour an half you've had, curled up on there I think it's my turn now, don't you?"

 

At least Vanessa had the decency to look a little guilty. Charity on the other hand just rolled her eyes at her. "Yeah sorry, Chas," Vanessa mumbled, pulling her top down where it had ridden up a bit and straightening her hair.

 

Charity just raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "Sofa's all yours, babe, but not the sexy vet," she grinned as Vanessa turned to her and threw her a look. Charity nodded at her. "This one's mine, yours is the un-sexy one and to be fair," she frowned, "I don't think the two of you will fit on 'ere."

 

"Charity!" Vanessa reprimanded, throwing her hand out and slapping her on the knee.

 

"Well they won't!" Charity defended, "You know, physics and all that," and then she held up a finger at Chas. "And I am not going to be the one picking both of you up. My back's still not recovered from last week," she smirked at her girlfriend, tossing her a sly wink. "Remember, babe?"

 

Chas just sighed as her gaze found the ceiling. "Definitely all better, then," she muttered to herself, knowing Charity's 'not feeling well' excuse from earlier was code for something else but going with it anyway.

 

Vanessa was still a little stunned by Charity's comments but after a moment her face broke into a grin and she leaned across the sofa toward her, lowering her voice. "How could I forget?"

 

Chas threw her hands in the air, exasperated at the pair of them. "Haven't you got work to go to?" she directed at Vanessa, hands planted firmly on her hips.

 

"Err don't speak to my girlfriend like that," Charity interjected, leaning forwards where she sat with a frown etched into her brow.

 

"Yes I have," Vanessa cut in not wanting an argument to flare up between them, her hand moving to Charity's thigh to give it a gentle squeeze. She gazed at her with a small smile, her chest doing that warm fluttering thing it did whenever Charity referred to her as her girlfriend. She knew that was something that would never get old. "You..." she continued as she got up from the sofa, rounding it and then leaning over the back of it, her hands splayed on top of the cushions. "..Just wait till later," she offered suggestively, reaching down to press a parting kiss to Charity's lips before she moved toward the door.

 

"Ooo I'm quaking, babe," Charity grinned, and then Vanessa threw her a wink.

 

"You will be," she shot back, her lip between her teeth as she turned to Chas. "Bye, Chas," Vanessa said quickly and then she was gone.

 

Charity stared after her for a moment, her heart full and chest expanding and literally all it had taken was a few hours curled up in her girlfriend's arms. She knew everything that was happening would sink back in soon but right then she was happy to ride on the coattails of Vanessa's lingering presence.

 

She sighed heavily and then turned her head to her cousin, the silly smile dropping from her face almost immediately. She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright," she sighed exaggeratingly, getting to her feet and holding a hand out at the sofa. "Enjoy your restful solitude."

 

"Hey," Chas piped up as Charity reached the door, causing her to turn. There was a wistful look on her face and it made Charity pause uncomfortably. "You really love her, don't you?"

 

Charity felt the colour drain from her face as her eyes widened, the awkwardness creeping into every inch of her. That she hadn't been expecting at all and she shifted her weight as her gaze dropped to the floor. "Uhhmm-"

 

"-Don't give me that," Chas started, both amused at her cousin's unease and happy because the response clearly meant she did. It was obvious anyway.

 

"-I'm not giving you anything," Charity hurried, the force in her tone indicative of her defensiveness. She swallowed and then licked her lips anxiously, half of her body hidden behind the half opened door. She was caught off guard, and not at all ready to admit how she felt, especially to someone who wasn't Vanessa regardless of how much she loved her cousin. She was still hardwired to hide her feelings, after all, to hide her vulnerabilities regardless of who was asking and she knew it would take more than a few hours with Vanessa, before she would be able to give them voice.

 

Chas tilted her head to the side and softened her tone considerably. "I've never seen you like this before. Ever."

 

Charity tried to feign nonchalance. "Yeah, well," she shrugged, still avoiding her cousin's gaze.

 

"Yeah, well..." Chas copied her, exaggerating Charity's lacklustre response. "You love her, so tell her."

 

Charity finally met Chas' eyes, the panic in them shining but she refused to run away. She straightened her posture a little but then her gaze fell away again, pushing out a sigh as she gestured absently in front of her with her hand. "I will," she forced out like it was the biggest inconvenience ever, and then she kind of scowled. "I just..."

 

Chas decided to take pity on her, knowing the depth that must be behind her cousin's feelings if she was showing this much consternation. "She'll say it back, she loves you too," Chas smiled, causing Charity's eyes to find hers again only this time they stayed there. "It's obvious from all those puppy eyes she constantly throws you," she continued with a little more edge to her tone, thinking it was all getting a bit too serious.

 

Charity smiled at that and nodded, shuffling again as everything went quiet.

 

"It's great to see you this happy," Chas offered, genuinely, a smile on her lips but a little sadness in her eyes, too. It was just a shame how long it had taken for real love to finally find her.

 

After a moment or so Charity smiled again, although it was a small one. The playful mood having left with her girlfriend and she wished it would somehow come back. "You too," Charity said softly, finding her cousin's gaze one last time before she headed out and into the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated :) thanks for reading!


	4. I do a lot of things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa popped back into the pub after the Christening to have a word with Rhona. Did Charity manage to charm her back into bed after all? Maybe ;) Comments and feedback always welcome and appreciated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hey. Uhmm, I'm sorry about before," Charity offered quietly as she fiddled with a beer mat. "You know winding you up."
> 
> Vanessa looked at her with a raised brow. "Isn't that what you do?"
> 
> Charity never could miss an opportunity to flirt, especially if it meant getting a rise out of someone she liked. "I do a lot of things," she said leaning forwards a little on the bar. "I'm free later if you want me to fill you in?"
> 
> Vanessa blinked, marveling at how Charity was able to turn a conversation right on it's head like that. She had no come back though and so she pulled in a breath, averted her gaze and rounded the bar to go and speak to Rhona.
> 
> **

She hadn't been able to cheer Rhona up at all, who had only spent another fifteen minutes at the table with Vanessa before bidding her goodnight and leaving. Vanessa worried for her, really, as she had been the one to get her hopes up about Paddy in the first place. She sighed and then cast a sideways glance over to where he still sat, staring intently at his newspaper oblivious to the turmoil that had took place not ten feet from him.

 

Vanessa slumped in her seat a little dramatically knowing full well that her own foul mood probably hadn't helped her best friend any either. The looks Charity had been throwing her from behind the bar were doing nothing to help matters, making her stomach turn in knots in an infuriatingly good way that meant Vanessa was fighting a losing battle against them. Against _her_ , really, and honestly it was making her mad.

 

She'd been in a foul mood all day and what was grating on her more than anything was how much she wanted to despise the woman overtly flirting with her, she wanted to be able to ignore and forget about her and move on but she just _couldn't_. Vanessa found it hard to hate anyone, really, especially someone who had given her the best sex of her life, made her come three times and then cuddled with her afterwards even if her name was Charity Dingle.

 

Vanessa glanced at the bar then because she just couldn't help herself. She peered up from beneath her brow and saw Charity standing there, over the far side of the bar where they spoke when Vanessa first came in. She smirked at her with that smug expression, all confidence and that kind of underhanded charm before she picked up a glass and started to pull a pint of lager from the tap. Vanessa rolled her eyes and stood up, approaching the bar with the familiar fluttering feeling in her stomach that she didn't want, making her push out an aggravated breath.

 

Charity placed the pint down in front of Vanessa when she got there, staring at her with a lop-sided smirk and those sultry green eyes as a frown crossed Vanessa's brow. "Saw you were in need, babe."

 

Vanessa's glare dropped to the pint. "I didn't order that," she spat a little indignantly.

 

"S'okay," Charity said with a wave of her hand, her shoulders going back and then she leaned over the bar to get just that little bit closer. "You don't need to give me anything, babe," she breathed before she lowered her voice and raised an eyebrow. "Just take."

 

Vanessa's heart pounded, then, and she hated it even more. Her stomach muscles clenched and she could do little else but stand there taken aback. Not surprised, but taken aback and her mouth dropped open a touch before she urged herself to do something. To move, to say something at least but all she did was blink before she dragged her eyes away from the cause of all her body's traitorous reactions.

 

Charity grinned, pleased with the responses she was getting so she bit on her lower lip as seductively as possible. Before she could say anything though, Vanessa grabbed the pint with a huff and abruptly turned on her heel, marching over to where Paddy sat still hovering over his paper. He glanced up at her as soon as she sat down, annoyance clearly etched across her face.

 

"You alright?" he asked cautiously after a moment, taking in her demeanour and deciding to treat her as if she were a hostile cat in the surgery, there for her annual jabs.

 

Vanessa rolled her eyes up at him, her attention shifting from her pint and the look in them was hard before another breathy sigh passed over her lips. "Yes," she lied, loudly, her face scrunching up as Charity rounded the bar and walked past their table, the same smug, suggestive look adorning her features. She immediately stole Vanessa's attention before she drew it back again to Paddy.

 

Paddy though, clearly didn't miss the exchange of looks and his mouth dropped open just a little as he sat bolt upright. "You haven't?" he asked her with trepidation.

 

Vanessa's mouth dropped open, too. "No!" she responded with conviction, her eyes darting around the room and she also shook her head for emphasis. "Course not!" and then she lowered her voice and leaned across the table. "What d'you take me for?"

 

Paddy reared up a bit, not expecting the level of force in her tone. "Nothing," he squeaked defensively but Vanessa was still glaring at him viscously. "I don't take you for anything," he stammered. "I just..."

 

"-You just what?"

 

Paddy was panicking. "Thought you... looked a bit..."

 

Vanessa's look turned to stone and her chin jutted out in defiance. "A bit what?"

 

He struggled for something to say and really wished he hadn't started this conversation. He shrugged, "...You know."

 

"No, Paddy. I don't know!"

 

"I just mean," he hurried, sighing a few times as he tried to start his sentence just as Charity returned to the bar, walking past them again with a number of empties clenched between her fingers. Paddy averted his eyes as Vanessa found a sudden interest in her beer mat.

 

Vanessa's gaze though floated up and followed her as she went back behind the bar, watching her for a few moments before she cut her eyes right back to Paddy.

 

"You seem a bit agitated," he tried with a lick of his lips. "Especially when you're within three foot of her," and then he nodded in Charity's direction. "I thought you were over the 'outing' thing?"

 

"I am," she answered quickly and defensively.

 

"So what's the problem then?"

 

Vanessa sighed loudly, and fiddled a little harder with her beer mat. "There is no problem, _Paddy_ ," she muttered grumpily, and then remembered why she sat down with him in the first place. "The problem's with you, not me."

 

Paddy just blinked at her. "Why am I the problem?"

 

"You're always the problem, Paddy," Charity added from behind the bar, causing them both to turn to her.

 

The frown was back on Vanessa's face and the irritation was growing in her by the second. "Err do you mind? This is a private conversation."

 

Charity grabbed a glass from under the counter and widened her eyes comically. "Well have it privately, then," she said rather sarcastically, and then she added a wink as she turned to head over to the lager pump. "Can't do anything quietly you, can you?"

 

Vanessa pulled a face and rolled her eyes, muttering a little to mimic Charity's words. She turned back to Paddy and glared at him again, trying her best to dismiss Charity's remark. "You need to stop being all up in Rhona's face. She doesn't need you interfering in what's going on with her and Pete."

 

Paddy paused as he held Vanessa's gaze and didn't even flinch. "You have, haven't you?" he asked after a good few seconds.

 

Vanessa huffed out a breath. "What?"

 

"Slept with her again." He flicked his eyes to the bar and back again.

 

"No!" she answered forcefully, trying to keep her voice down. "I have _not_."

 

"But you want to?"

 

"No, Paddy," she lied, and then swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. "I don't." She swiped her pint up from the table and took an extremely long sip from it. "I don't need you all up in my face either, alright?"

 

Paddy took in a breath and sighed, the back of his thumb rubbing against his forehead. "Vanessa-"

 

"Look!" she interrupted firmly. "I'm a grown woman and I can make up my own mind about what I do and don't do," and then she took another sip. "And who I do it with, thank you very much."

 

Paddy was watching her carefully. "Is that so?"

 

Vanessa slammed her pint down and glared at him with venom. Her jaw rippling under her skin as she pressed her teeth together. "It is."

 

"That's why you look like you're at war with yourself every time you look at her then, is it?"

 

Vanessa rolled her eyes and couldn't help but follow the sound of Charity's laugh over to where she was now standing behind the bar, for all intents and purposes flirting with the two guys opposite her. It was for her benefit, Vanessa knew, Charity trying and succeeding to make her feel even more confused, annoyed and jealous all at once. She sighed as she tried to calm down; losing it at Paddy wasn't going to help anything, she supposed. Her body language softened a little, her shoulders slumping as she leaned her forearms on the table.

 

Paddy's voice softened as well if not keeping an edge of its accusatory tone. "And I suppose why you're getting more wound up the longer she stays over there draping herself over pinky and perky."

 

She kept fiddling with her beer mat and blinked at it a few times, not wanting to meet Paddy's gaze. "The only person who's winding me up is you," she grumbled.

 

"Right," Paddy breathed. "You're not fooling anyone, you know that don't you? Least of all her." For all his remarks he was concerned for her, more so than he'd ever want to tell her out loud. He didn't want her hurt and couldn't see how getting involved with Charity Dingle would end in anything else. "You know what she's like," he said softly. "Give her an inch and she'll take a mile."

 

"I know," Vanessa sighed as her fight receded a little, huffing out another breath as her eyebrows pulled together. She squeezed her eyes shut and as much as she wanted to ignore it, all she could picture was the way Charity was with her that night, how gentle and kind and caring even when they were in the cellar. It was those fingers and the way in which she touched and kissed her. Nothing like the sarcastic, blatant pretence she was putting on for her now. She was different, then, and Vanessa _really_ wanted to see that side of her again.

 

"It's just..." she tried before she sighed again, shaking her head a little and keeping her voice as low as possible. She tilted her head to the side and her face took on a distant, dream-like expression. A tiny smile pulling at her lips. "I can't explain it; she just has this way..."

 

"-A way many people have experienced and run from before you," Paddy scoffed as he nodded his head a little rapidly.

 

"Paddy-" He was never going to listen, no one was. Vanessa very much doubted many people had ever seen the side of Charity she had.

 

"And they do," he continued in a hurry. "Run from her. Before she destroys their lives completely."

 

Vanessa just closed her eyes as there really was no point. Everyone's opinion of Charity was more or less the same, the same as hers before that night to be fair. She may as well try to convince him that up was down than it seemed like, in those few moments when they were curled up together, that Charity actually cared about her. Like she needed the contact just as much as Vanessa did but she knew it was pointless. She was having a hard enough time convincing herself of it.

 

"I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all," Paddy intoned, his face a picture of concern.

 

Vanessa looked at him from beneath her brow. "I won't," she said as her lower lip clenched between her teeth. She leaned in closer over the table before she continued. "Because nothing _is_ going on and nothing will."

 

"Right," Paddy replied, not really believing her at all.

 

Charity turned around then, her eyes immediately landing on Vanessa who was gazing at her softly but before she could look away Charity winked at her, which made Vanessa scoff and roll her eyes in exasperation.

 

Paddy sighed and then leaned over the table, realising that perhaps he was fighting a losing battle. "At least set her straight," he said, making Vanessa glance at him.

 

"What?"

 

"You know, what you were supposed to do the last time."

 

Vanessa just narrowed her eyes at him.

 

"Show her she can't mess with you," he said, trying to inject a little fight back into her. "She outed you to the entire pub. Would you let anyone else get away with that?"

 

"No," she replied almost immediately, thinking about it. Anyone else and she'd have probably ripped into them for it.

 

"So tell her!" he said as he picked up his glass, finishing the remaining dregs of his pint. "And if you really don't want to sleep with her again then stop mooning at her across the bar."

 

Vanessa scrunched up her face, offended. "I'm not!"

 

Paddy's eyes widened. "Tell that to your face."

 

She huffed out a breath. "I'm scowling at her, actually."

 

Paddy rolled his eyes again, getting pretty annoyed with Vanessa's avoidance and Charity's obvious flirting. "The pair of you need to grow up."

 

"Oh whatever, Paddy," Vanessa grumbled, taking a last mouthful from her pint. "You need to stay out of my love life, okay? _And_ Rhona's." She stood from her chair abruptly causing it to scrape backwards across the floor an inch or two.

 

Paddy looked up at her. "Thought you didn't have a love life?"

 

Vanessa scoffed and gave him a dangerous look before she turned and barged out of the pub, kind of regretting having returned there in the first place.

 

Charity appeared from the back and caught Vanessa's retreating form as she disappeared out the door. She turned to Paddy with a quizzical expression on her face. "Where's she going?" she asked quickly, trying to keep the disappointment from showing through.

 

Paddy gazed at her for a few seconds before he answered. "Why do you care?"

 

Charity quirked a brow and lifted her chin, giving a slight shrug of her one shoulder. "I don't."

 

Paddy turned back to his paper. "Well then."

 

**

 

Charity worked the rest of her shift in a lull, bothered but not bothered by the fact Vanessa didn't hang around. She had been playing a game with herself; seeing how long it would take to charm her way back into Vanessa's good books, if she had ever been there in the first place of course, and then in turn to get her to fall back into her bed again. Or, if not that then how long it would be before Vanessa would crack a smile in her direction or, perhaps even flirt back with her a little. Charity had been convinced it would be tonight when she would get a smile out of her at the very, very least. It was her new thing that occupied her time, her latest challenge and anyway Charity had decided she liked Vanessa's smile, especially when it was aimed at her and she had been the cause of it. She had replayed their night together plenty of times in her mind and she wanted it again, so therefore she had devised this little game to see exactly what it would take.

 

Charity liked a challenge after all, and by the lip Vanessa had been giving her recently it was obvious she wasn't going to make it easy for her and _that_ of course, was what Charity lived for.

 

That's what she told herself anyway. Exactly the way she reasoned it in her head; the perfect type of justification. Plus the sex had been great, a lot better than what she'd been used to in recent years and by the amount of feistiness Vanessa was showing her it could only get a hell of a lot better. Charity definitely wanted to know what she could do with that tongue of hers in various other places and she would be damned if she wasn't going to find out.

 

"Any chance of another?"

 

Charity was brought out of her daze having been stood at the bar motionless with her arms folded across her chest for the last ten minutes, cloth clenched firmly in hand and lip between her teeth.

 

"What?" Charity scowled, her attention falling to Jimmy who was propping up the other side of the bar. "No, Jimmy! What is this, a soup kitchen? Haven't you got a home to go to? Or an angry wife?"

 

"Hey," Jimmy retaliated. "Nicola isn't angry she's just... sarcastic." Charity glared at him, making him sigh heavily and gaze down at his almost empty pint glass. "Okay I suppose she is," he shrugged. "But with reason..."

 

Charity rolled her eyes. "Uhh, Jimmy, I really don't care," she sighed as she made her way over to the tables to start wiping them down.

 

"Charming," Jimmy muttered. "Who's rattled your cage?"

 

 _Paddy_ her mind automatically piped up. The reason why Vanessa left. She shook her head though and ignored it, moving quickly onto the next table and grimacing fleetingly at the two people who had just vacated it. She picked up the empties and carried them to the bar.

 

"Does my cage look rattled?" she asked as she turned to find him still gawping at her.

 

"Yes!" he replied as his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "I'm the customer here, you should be asking after my well-being not the other way round."

 

"Is that so?" she sighed again as she narrowed her eyes, leaning her one arm on the bar for a second and placing her other hand on her hip. "Jimmy, in the time I've owned this pub have you ever known me to actually give a flying stuff about the punters? Especially balding, middle-aged men like you?"

 

Jimmy's lips parted for a moment as his expression went from offense to surprise and then acknowledgment all within a matter of seconds. He tipped his head to the side. "I suppose you've got a point."

 

"Exactly," she said with a slight nod before she turned her back and carried on with the tables.

 

Jimmy was the last customer in so he stood up, finished his pint and turned to leave. "Wouldn't hurt though," he said as he did his coat up, "might keep us coming back."

 

He pulled the door open and left just as Vanessa came in at the same time, the door slamming shut behind him.

 

Charity was still leaning over a table, wiping at it a little too furiously. "Well maybe I don't care if you do come back," she mused out loud.

 

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "Okay well, maybe I'll go then," she said as she came to a stop just to the side of the bar.

 

Charity froze mid-wipe and spun on her heel, holding her hand out and for once a little lost as to what to say. Vanessa just looked at her, her expression definitely more open and receptive than it was when she left.

 

After a moment Charity smirked at her, in that way that usually had those who were interested in her wanting more and then she shrugged, rather nonchalantly. "Wasn't talking about you, was I?"

 

Vanessa nodded slowly, her thumbs hooking into her back pockets. "I should hope not."

 

Charity bit her lip at the way Vanessa was standing, glaring at her like she both wanted to be there and not be there in equal measure. A _real_ challenge. Charity turned back around then and finished the last of her tables. "We are closed now though, buttercup," she grinned to herself as she dragged the words out, turning around again slowly with a loftiness to her demeanour. "So what is it that I can do for you?"

 

Vanessa scoffed as she held her jaw high, feigning a confidence she really didn't feel. She was bricking it, really, but she wasn't about to back down. She raised her eyebrows as if the answer was fairly obvious. "I think you know the answer to that."

 

Charity was impressed and she nodded minutely, her arms coming up to fold across her chest. If she'd have known Vanessa was like this before the night in the cellar, she might've tried to seduce her sooner.

 

"Well you're in a better mood than earlier," Charity husked, her head tipping slightly to one side. "Seemed like you and Paddy were having a row..."

 

Vanessa shook her head. "I don't want to talk about Paddy," she replied flatly.

 

"Ohh," Charity breathed, finding 'take charge Vanessa' very attractive indeed. "Well what do you wanna talk about?"

 

Vanessa swallowed, refusing to let her nerve waiver. There was plenty to talk about, really, like how much of a bad idea this was but Vanessa had already made up her mind. It was exciting, _she_ was exciting. As exciting as it was dangerous and after her brief spat with Paddy she had realised that life was too short. Far too short for other people's opinions and a sensibility that meant spending her nights alone when there was a hot, devastatingly good in the sack Charity Dingle up the road who wanted to show her a good time.

 

Who was she to fight it? It had taken absolutely no time at all to realise having someone like Charity's full attention was an amazing feeling, and she'd be more than stupid to pass that up rather than give into it. All she had to do was keep that attention and she had a pretty good idea of how to do it, _if_ she decided she wanted to.

 

Vanessa steeled her jaw, her eyes fixed on the green ones in front of her. "I don't."

 

Charity pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth and grinned, ear to ear, taking a couple of purposeful steps forward. "Good," she said with a depth in her tone that practically dragged along the floor. Suddenly her blood ran hot beneath her skin and her eyes danced with excitement. Tonight was _definitely_ going to turn out a lot better than she thought and so she turned around to bolt the door.

 

**

 

They crashed through Charity's bedroom door like a runaway tornado, the journey from the bar taking no time at all after Charity had finished with the door. They clawed at each other's clothes and breathed heavily into each other's mouths, both of them desperate to feel the other against them again.

 

Vanessa was more forceful this time and it excited Charity thoroughly. No sooner had she shut the bedroom door and pushed Vanessa against the nearest wall Vanessa was pushing back at her, Charity's shoulders colliding with the back of the door before Vanessa was up on her toes, pressing against Charity and kissing her with a fire that was hard to match.

 

Vanessa's hands were quickly at Charity's hips, holding her firmly in place and after Charity had caught her breath her hands were sliding around Vanessa's jaw and neck, slipping into her hair as her tongue teased and flicked against the one trying to devour her mouth.

 

Vanessa wasn't being subtle but she didn't care. She was _hungry_ , she needed to prove a point and by the delicious whimpers she was drawing from Charity's throat she was very much succeeding.

 

Charity quickly pushed Vanessa's coat from her shoulders and it wasn't two seconds before Vanessa's hands were back on her, sliding up beneath her loose red top as her thumbs raked over her ribs.

 

Charity was having trouble breathing so she pulled back for just a moment, both of them sucking in huge gulps of air as Vanessa leaned her whole weight against her, their foreheads close but not quite touching and Charity's hands now gathered at the small of Vanessa's back.

 

Charity grinned as she gasped, the surprise and excitement heavy in her expression and when she spoke she was breathless. "Well, you really are feisty aren't you?" she chuckled lightly.

 

It took a moment for Vanessa to gather herself, her mind awash with lust and _need_ and when her eyes opened they were cloudy and furiously dark. Her hands were back on Charity's hips where all her weight was braced and when she blew out another breath her lips pulled the side, trying as best she could for smug and cocky. "When I want to be."

 

It sent a shiver down Charity's spine the way Vanessa was being. All self-assured and commanding when it was Charity who was used to being the dominant one in any given situation, regardless of how much the other person thought they had the upper hand. Sex was no exception; she was always the one who controlled that. It was easy for her, she knew how to make people bend and they always did. She was always the one who gave the pleasure. She took what she wanted too of course, but she could count on one hand the amount of times she had ever gladly submit.

 

It thrilled her before it scared her. The thought that she _might_ right here, bend however Vanessa wanted her to was terrifying but she quickly pushed it out of her mind. She swallowed and then licked her lips, surging forwards and taking Vanessa with her as she stepped toward the bed. She kissed Vanessa hard until that revelation went away completely, putting it right up on that top shelf where she didn't have to deal with it and all she could feel and think about were Vanessa's hands, as they peeled up her top and pulled it over her head.

 

Charity did the same to Vanessa's shirt, dropping it to the floor as she started kissing down her neck, sucking and pulling at the skin with her teeth. Vanessa's moans and gasps were like music to her ears and as she continued to get lost in the sensations that ran through her, she didn't notice as Vanessa turned them just as she didn't register small fingers start to undo her jeans.

 

Vanessa pushed Charity to the bed and fell with her, landing half on top of and just to Charity's right side. Her own right leg falling happily between Charity's two.

 

Charity was taken by surprise once again but she didn't fight it, leaning up on her right elbow as her left hand reached for Vanessa's neck, pulling her in for another frantic and heated kiss.

 

It was fast and exhilarating, Vanessa's heart beating out of her chest and her blood running like wildfire through her veins. She was sure she was shaking but she didn't care; it was working. Vanessa could be just as much in control of this as Charity had been. Just as confident and assured and the one thing she would never be was somebody's game or conquest. No matter how alluring and seductive the games master could be.

 

Vanessa pulled back and immediately Charity chased her lips, a tiny frown appearing on her brow when Vanessa stayed just out of reach. Vanessa was panting and as Charity searched her face she licked her lips and pushed out a shuddering breath, marvelling at Charity's blown pupils and deep, expressive green eyes. They were asking a question but her expression was so open and wanting Vanessa couldn't quite get her head around it. Charity looked so soft in that moment it made her physically _ache_ but then Charity tried again for another kiss and this time, she only just about managed to dodge it.

 

And so it seemed that Charity Dingle did bend, but luckily she was far too preoccupied by what Vanessa was doing to pay it any mind. Vanessa was grinning, gazing down at Charity's lips with a small smirk which made Charity grin, too.

 

"One thing," Vanessa began softly, her fingertip tracing lightly over the bone of Charity's bare shoulder before jumping up to do the same along her jaw.

 

"Only one?" Charity teased in response, the husk in her tone shooting right down Vanessa's spine.

 

"An important one," Vanessa continued, her finger finding the dip in Charity's chin and pressing into it, a little.

 

Charity exaggerated a frown, pushing out her bottom lip when it didn't seem like Vanessa was going to kiss her again immediately. She stayed where she was though regardless, letting Vanessa take this where she wanted. Charity liked the feeling of being beneath her, if she was honest, and so she just enjoyed the naked press of their upper bodies where they lay together.

 

Vanessa pushed out a quiet breath and somehow managed to hold her nerve. "What you said, when I was in the pub with Daz..." she trailed off, chancing a glance up again at those beautiful, expressive eyes. Charity really did pull a face then though, and so Vanessa pushed her index finger into Charity's shoulder, just below her collarbone. "Doesn't happen again, right?" she continued with a slow smirk on her lips, the expression on her face however a picture of seriousness.

 

Charity held the eye contact for a moment, not really sure what to make of it but then she swept her gaze to the side, her demeanour quickly shifting to an air of nonchalance. "Aren't you over that yet?" she challenged with a brow quirked, a couple fingers of her left hand hooking into Vanessa's belt loop and giving it a tiny tug.

 

Vanessa though just glared down at her and blinked.

 

Charity sighed, her eyes rolling just a touch. "Babe I did you a favour," she tried to reason even though she knew she had been wrong do say what she did, on that day. She bit on the inside of her lip and tried her best to look a little sheepish, annoyed as she was that they were doing any talking in the first place. After a moment she tugged on the belt loop again, a little harder this time as her lips curled up at the edges suggestively. "Now it's all out in the open so there's no reason why we can't..." she leaned up again for a third time but was still met with resistance, this time from Vanessa's palm which she pressed against her shoulder.

 

Vanessa held up a finger between them, the seriousness back on her face and shining in her eyes. Charity slumped back a little and Vanessa couldn't help but smile at the pout that quickly appeared on her face and after a second or two, she curled her finger underneath Charity's chin and tilted her head up so she could meet her eyes.

 

There were plenty of reasons why they shouldn't, Vanessa thought, but having this woman beneath her and looking all forlorn because she wouldn't let her kiss her was, well, like an amazing kind of drug. It was addictive to say the very least.

 

"Err, that's not the point," Vanessa chastised and Charity sighed again. "My sexuality is not for you..." and she poked at Charity's shoulder again with her index finger although she kept it playful. "..Or anyone else to call me out on. In public," she added, "and in front of my dad."

 

Charity did actually look sorry, then, as her gaze wandered to her fingers that were still playing in Vanessa's belt loop. She knew she had been out of order, and seeing how mortified Vanessa was at the time had actually hurt, a bit. Not at all the usual gratification she experienced when she used privileged information against someone. Her intention wasn't even to humiliate Vanessa, in actual fact. She did it because she couldn't stand to see her hiding behind some facade of dating Daz just because she had realised she liked women. It was ridiculous, in her opinion. No one should have to feel that way and so she liberated her, in one fell swoop. She just didn't think about how it might make Vanessa feel which was of course something she never thought about. Because she didn't care. Only this time she did. A bit.

 

Charity pulled her lip through her teeth and shook her head a little. "Yeah well, I was saving you from having to date that idiot wasn't I?"

 

It really wasn't the response Vanessa was looking for. "I'm being serious, Charity."

 

Charity rolled her eyes and furrowed her brow, glancing up at Vanessa and acting like she hadn't heard her. "I mean Daz," she sneered. "Really?"

 

Vanessa scoffed under her breath and searched Charity's eyes. Her tone was similar to how it was when she told her she could do better than him in the cellar and then Vanessa's eyes narrowed, thinking if Charity wanted to play then she could play too. "Ohhh I see," she smirked. "Jealous, were you?"

 

Charity's jaw fell open a touch and her eyes widened, her head tipping back incredulously. "Oh babe," she breathed, that chord inside her getting annoyingly strummed. "Is that what you really think?"

 

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "I don't care either way," she snapped in reply, the delight dropping from Charity's expression as Vanessa really poked her shoulder this time, making it dip a little into the bed. Suddenly Vanessa's eyes were bordering on dangerous and Charity got the distinct impression she was being challenged again. "And I don't care why you did it," she pressed, her voice now rigid and firm as she leaned more of her weight against Charity's beneath her. "You don't do anything like that again. I'm warning you."

 

Charity stared up at her, caught somewhere between shocked and immeasurably turned on. There was a fire in Vanessa's eyes that radiated from her, the grit in her tone making Charity's pulse beat faster and the warmth in her chest spiral outwards. Charity's shock then turned on herself as rather than be irritated and reactive as she normally would be toward someone she hardly knew instructing her to do something, all Charity wanted to do was pin Vanessa to the bed and ravish her. It was new, the desire rippling through her without warning and Charity was well aware she was about to give in to what Vanessa was telling her.

 

The grin grew across Charity's face and she could see the resolve in Vanessa's eyes start to crumble, especially in the way they kept flicking down to her lips and back again. Charity licked at her lips purposefully and caught those blue eyes looking and as much as they both knew Charity could turn the tables on this power play whenever she wanted, it was just as obvious that she was allowing it to play out and to Vanessa that meant the most of all.

 

It was the closest thing Vanessa was ever going to get to an apology, or any kind of admission of guilt for her public 'outing' and it was enough, Vanessa thought, but then as she watched the smirk drop from Charity's lips and her head give one single, solitary slow nod she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

 

Charity then sucked in a breath and dipped her head, her shoulder lifting up off the bed as she looked up, her eyes now half lidded and the sensual, flirtatious expression back on her face with purpose. She pulled Vanessa closer by the belt loop as she pushed herself up and into her still pointed finger. "Consider me sufficiently warned," she breathed heavily, she smirk unfolding across her face and her head angling just slightly to the side, the ardour in her tone causing Vanessa's resolve to fade completely.

 

Charity wrapped her left arm around Vanessa's hip and slid her hand just below the waistband of her jeans, this time meeting no resistance as she inched her lips closer. "Now can we please get back to why we're here, yeah?" she whispered and just at the last moment she dodged Vanessa's lips and kissed her neck instead.

 

Vanessa grinned as her eyes fell closed, her hands getting lost in Charity's hair as she pulled her head into her body. "I suppose so," she exhaled as she felt Charity's tongue drag along her skin.

 

Charity's eyes flared and she pulled back a little, almost getting distracted by the look of pure, unadulterated lust covering Vanessa's face. "Oh babe," she hummed, and Vanessa felt the reverberations right the way through to her chest. "You're gonna do more than suppose," she promised, and then she turned them and pushed Vanessa down onto the bed.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [twitter](http://twitter.com/talented_gemx) or [tumblr](http://talentedgemx.tumblr.com/), if you'd like :)


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